Communication has always been a key element of our society, and even more so in present time where communication is required to be nearly instant. Over time, types of communications have evolved, traditional remote telecommunication is progressively being replaced by internet based communications, and today 80% of the new generation of home-users use the traditional phone less, switching to more interactive types of communication that embrace technology such as VoIP that provides audio & video components at a cheaper cost than traditional telephony methods. VoIP technology is becoming more accessible and sometimes as a free service across the globe. VoIP is proposed as part of internet packages offered by service providers as a competitive argument. From a business point of view VoIP technology is also very important, as more & more company employees are able to work remotely in the comfort of their own home. Thus, internet services such as VoIP are important, especially when users need to communicate one-to-one1 or to participate in teleconferences, which often require audio or video services. In both cases, private & company users, depend on good functionalism of their computer devices to see and hear properly. The invention focuses on the audibility function in addressing the problem of muted, low level or disabled audio devices and noisy environments when incoming VoIP calls are received at a called party location. Users are often not in front of their computer screens even if their computers are operating; in such cases, they rely on an audible sound (a ring-tone) to be notified of incoming calls. However, the computer sometimes cannot play ring-tones. This can happen for different reasons; for example, 1. the sound system has been switched off, or the volume lowered or muted, 2. sound has been redirected to a headset, 3. the called party location might be excessively noisy.
In these cases, if a called party happens to be away from the computer, he or she will not be able to hear the ring-tones of an incoming VoIP call. A calling party is also unaware of such conditions at the called party location and will probably respond inappropriately, such as continued ringing or repeated calls. The invention can be especially important for urgent incoming calls when ring-tones cannot be heard.